Whispering winds and creaking bark were the only sounds filling such a dark place. The woods outside of The Immortal City were a place of woe and fear. Few ventured them because of the vicious beasts that roamed. Others kept their distance simply because it 'looked' scary. Most stayed away because they were forbidden. The Shackle Woods was filled with thick trees of every type, barricaded in by heavy thorn and sticker bushes. Once past these obstacles the trees spaced out leaving wide shaded paths under the massive canopy a few hundred feet up. It was in this shadowy wood that a lone figure marched.

Appearing unafraid, a young man of maybe twenty years almost strolled through such a foreboding place. Drab greens and browns were the colors of his common clothes, helping him blend to the environment. Though in these woods, no amount of camouflage would save him from the creatures that lurked. A crudely tooled sword strapped to his back and an aged blaster strapped to his thigh were two of the weapons the woodsman carried openly. A traveler's pack with a short bow tucked in behind looked well worn at the man's back. Gaelan Marsh was indeed a woodsman as his dress described. An honest profession within the Immortal Empire. A time where only the Empire was allowed transportation that involved no beasts of burden. Woodsman were the protection and guides of those who wished to cross from city to city. Perhaps not always the best of fighters, they were certainly the best of trackers. He roamed the 'evil' Shackle Woods now for the second time in his life. The first being just a short month ago.

It was in these woods he was drawn, maybe by curiosity, but mostly by a gut feeling that there was something to be found. And find something he had. With in these woods he had found something forbidden for a millennia. The journey had taken him the better part of a week the first time and had taken him now barely a day. The hull of a great ship rose from the ground like a small mountain. The freighter only came twenty or thirty feet off the ground at its highest point but to him, it seemed astronomically large. Gaelan had no idea how he could have missed it the first time he walked the woods. He had only found it on his way out, as if stumbling upon it. Now that he had found it the ship seemed to reveal itself to him, beckoning him.

The woodsman crawled through the vine covered breach in the hull while he pulled a handlight from his belt and drew his sword to the ready. The last time he had come there had been several tracks in the dirt around the ship though none seemed to enter. Regardless, years of experience taught him caution. Caution that seemed that much more important for being in the Shackle Woods.

The interior of the ship was slanted with the angle of impact it had made however many years ago. Technology that was not exactly unfamiliar to Gaelan yet completely alien at the same time filled each room. There were controls and computers like anyone would find within a city but they were slightly different to what he was used to. He couldn't help but wonder if this had been a ship made in secret then destroyed by the Great Palace or one of its sister Palace's when it tried to fly.

After spending the time to check every room for dangerous wildlife, Gaelan finally made his way back to the engine room. He looked over the generator with a frown trying to decide how much it was like the generators back home. Dropping his pack to the ground, he pulled a thick cylinder from its depths and set it on the grated floor with a thud. Another hand probed the side of the generator trying to slide back the covering panel. A heavy tug pulled the panel away to reveal well maintained parts despite the age of the ship. He pulled a few wires out here and there trying to find just the right set. As a woodsman, the task proved increasingly difficult but being an astute young man he finally found what he was looking for. Plugging in his own power supply sent an orchestra of pops and snaps through the ship all at once. Circuits that had not felt the warmth of power in ages came to life. Lights and monitors flickered all about as the metal beast took in the life Gaelan restored.

"By the Emperor himself, we've got a ship..." Gaelan said to himself as he stood slowly looking at the engine room in the glow of its own lights. Excitement raced through him at the thrill such a forbidden and working machine brought. He double checked the security and draw on his power supply and went exploring.

The ship was now a much different place than it had moments before. It was alive. The lights, the shapes, it made him feel safe. The paneling was smooth and simple not jagged and intricate like the architecture the Empire used. While he had rarely called houses laced with technology home, he felt at ease in this place. He found now a room he hadn't realized in the dark. A panel he had taken for just part of the wall glowed bright in the middle of a corridor. Tentatively he touched it. The panel flashed from white to green as a thin section of the wall next to it hissed and lifted away.

A room, the doorway revealed a living area. Like the rest of the ship it was simple and undecorated. Gaelan opened draws to find emptiness, like no one had actually lived in the room. The small bed was covered in simple brown cloth of some sort, something synthetic he assumed since it seemed not be degraded. The room appeared to have nothing to reveal other than it had once been used by someone who cared to live only a simple life. He was about to leave the room when he felt something like a gut instinct to look again. As if it hadn't been enough to just find nothing in this previously hidden room. The second pass he made with critical care. Keen eyes picked up the panel in the wall that was ever so slightly indented.

Inspection proved there were no controls for the indented plate. Effort to pry the panel with a pocket knife proved to be frivolous at best. Finally he gave the spot a swift rap with the side of his fist and was rewarded with a click from within the wall. The panel pushed outward about an inch and lowered away. Behind was another glowing panel like the one that opened the door. Again he reached forward to gently place his hand on such a glowing panel. As his fingers came in contact with the plastic like surface the entire ship went dark. The hum of life left it abruptly, leaving only shadow and silence. Gaelan had turned immediately as the power died in the ship, pulling his blaster in the motion. He cursed himself for being so enamored with the ship that he had left his pack and handlight in the engine room.

Clanking footfalls on grated floor were the only sound that greeted Gaelan as he felt his way through the ship. Having only explored the vessel once before the travel was slow going in the pitch darkness. Fear welled up inside him as he suddenly realized where he was. Within the extremely dangerous Shackle Woods, a day away from any help, on a ship that was strictly forbidden by Imperial law. It was now he heard noises, chittering clicks like that of insects. Growling rumbles that seemed to vibrate in his ears. The darkness felt suddenly alive around him, waiting to consume him. Try as he might he couldn't will his legs to move forward. The cacophony of noises grew until it seemed to fill the hall around him, like faceless horrors breathed at the nap of his neck. Hairs stood on end in warning fright.

A light began to pulse in front of him, slow at first then growing taller. It began to take shape and elongate, warm foul air blew from somewhere unseen behind it. The shape became more defined, human almost. He could feel presence of something just in front of him, something watching him through the blue light. Sudden the noises stopped all at once as a face appeared in the light. Smiling, the light exploded into nothingness as a piercing screech barreled through the form at Gaelan. Fiery red blaster bolts silhouetted the beast's hideous body as it flew towards him. The impact of claw and fur knocked him to the ground. His body went tense awaiting the thrashing that was sure to come but none did. A few heavy breathed moments passed before Gaelan slid the beast off him and desperately felt his way to the engine room.

The second he found his light he slumped into a corner and leveled his blaster at anything that could have been following him. Nothing moved in cone of his light. Keeping the light pointed down the corridor he had come, he checked the power supply. It was drained, whether by beast or the ship he didn't know. In a sudden rush he snatched up his pack and bolted from the ship. He came across no corpse in the halls of the ship but he wasn't sure where he had been attacked and he didn't care to find it. A wave of relief swept over him when he was finally out of the ship. A ship that felt far from safe anymore.

The last bits of light pierced the foliage above him and the noises of the wood had just begun. He would have little time to find a shelter tonight so he sought an area well open. He didn't have to travel far to find a suitable area but continued a bit further because he could just make out the rise of the ship in the twilight. The feeling of being stalked hadn't left him since he had left the ship and found his 'open area'. The second area was still under the roof of the forest but the trees were grown far enough apart that no beast would be able to pounce directly on him from above. The woodsman went to the task of setting up perimeter shields between the trees of the expanse. After which he went to as near the center as he could figure and threw a small sphere into the air. A flash of light expanded outward from the ball and faded just as quickly. A wall of invisible energy separated him from the forest now but he knew that would give him little comfort after his experience on the ship. Gaelan set up a small camp and felt foolishly under supplied. His intention had been to stay on the ship for the night and head back in the morning. Now he would be left to sleep exposed to what would find him in the night. A slight chuckle came to him as he thought about trying to sleep. There would be none tonight...

"Because of Fear, there is Courage. Because of Lies, there is Honor. Because of You, there is Me."- Jaster